Fancl Corporation (President: Kenji Ikemori) has collaborated with Kyowa Hakko Co., Ltd. (President: Tadashi Hirata) for commercialization of a hair- growing agent since April 1998 and obtained the NDA approval for "Medicated Mohkatsurin PB" as a quasi-drug from the Japanese Health Authorities, KOSEISHO, on the 12th October, 1999. The product will be marketed nationwide through the sales network of Fancl from the 20th December, 1999.
  In Japan, 10 million persons are estimated to suffer from thin hair. Male pattern baldness is caused by inheritance, disturbance in hormonal balance, aging of cells due to the increase of stress, etc. It is increasing and will further increase in future under severer scalp environment and change of food pattern. Under such situation, Kyowa Hakko undertook the study on hair growth around 10 years ago and has repeated the screenings (compound searching) of mainly natural materials using evaluation systems of its own development (organ culture system of hair follicle tissue ^*1 / technique of culturing hair follicle cells ^*2). As a result, Kyowa Hakko discovered that procyanidins, a kind of polyphenol extracted from apples, possess the activity of selectively promoting the outer root sheath cell growth which cause hair growth ^*3 and has been engaged in the study for its practical use. Recently it succeeded in its commercialization in collaboration with Fancl.
  Procyanidin is well known to have potent effects of antioxidation, active oxygen elimination, and aging retardation, etc. and commonly used as a safe and non-irritative raw material for cosmetics mainly in Europe. However, "its application to a hair-growing agent is first in the world".   In "Medicated Mohkatsurin PB" is compounded "procyanidin PB" rich in procyanidin dimer and trimer found to possess particularly marked activity of promoting proliferation of the outer root sheath cells in vitro. In addition to it, Swertia japonica (a Japanese green gentian) extract, pantothenyl ethylether, and -glycyrrhetinic acid are compounded to promote hair-generating and hair-growing effects by procyanidins. The product is formulated to make the effects of "procyanidin PB" efficient.
  Fancl enters into the field of hair growth stimulator to generate new hair for the scalp and hair-growing agents with this "Medicated Mohkatsurin PB" born as a result of collaboration with Kyowa Hakko and will positively promote the sales as a new strategic business for the 21st century.
  Fancl expects the sales amount of 100 million yen from the market launching to the end of March 2000 and 700 to 1,000 million yen for the whole fiscal year 2000 (from April 2000 to March 2001).
  The details of the product are as follows:

Brand name:	Fancl "Medicated Mohkatsurin PB"
Price:	3,500 yen for a box of one bottle, 10,000 yen for a box of three bottles (plus turnover tax)
Contents:	60 ml per bottle
Application:	About 1 ml once, two applications daily
Ingredients:	PB, Swertia herb extract, pantothenyl ethylether, -glycyrrhetinic acid, wine yeast extract
Characteristics:	(1) "Medicated Mohkatsurin PB" directly activates the outer root sheath cells and hair matrix cells and promotes hair generation and growth. The disturbance in hair cycle (hair generation - anagen phase - catagen phase - telogen phase - hair loss) is said to be one of the causes of male pattern baldness. The product activates proliferation of the outer root sheath cells and hair matrix cells, promotes the shift to anagen phase in the hair cycle to decrease falling hair and promotes hair growth. (2) The product promotes blood flow to prevent falling hair. It provides dermal papilla cells and hair matrix cells with nutrition and oxygen, prevents falling hair, and promotes the growth of healthy hair. (3) The product keeps the scalp and hair in normal conditions. It controls excessive activity of the sebaceous gland and suppresses the peroxidized lipid formation by antioxidant effect, and prevents the damages on the scalp. It controls excessive male hormones, adjusts the hair cycle, and protects hair.